Liverpool Faces Defining Decision on Alexis Mac Allister Amid Manchester City Interest
Manchester City’s interest in Alexis Mac Allister has handed Liverpool an awkward but potentially defining decision over one of Arne Slot’s title winners.
The Premier League champion is expected to bat away any offers from City this summer, yet the situation is no longer simple. Mac Allister has just two years left on his deal and Liverpool is still smarting from allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konaté to walk away for nothing. The club cannot afford a repeat.
From title pillar to question mark
Under Slot in the 2024/25 campaign, Mac Allister was central to Liverpool’s charge to the Premier League crown. He knitted play together, dictated tempo, and looked every inch the long-term heartbeat of the midfield.
Last season told a different story. At 27, he suddenly looked heavy-legged. His defensive work became a problem, his attacking output dipped, and stretches of games simply passed him by. The contrast with his peak form was stark.
His displays for Argentina at the World Cup underlined the conundrum. He produced strong performances on the biggest stage, yet some games drew the same criticism: not enough intensity without the ball, not enough incision with it. Among sections of the fanbase, the question has grown louder — is this the moment to cash in?
Now City has come knocking, and that changes the dynamic.
A rare swap on the table?
Player-for-player trades at this level are rare, but this one has a certain logic. Liverpool’s need for a specialist defensive midfielder has been obvious for two seasons.
Trey Nyoni is expected to step up, but his strengths lie in driving from box to box, not anchoring the side. Ryan Gravenberch has been asked to cover both No. 8 and No. 6 roles, but his game is built on ball retention rather than pure defensive instincts. The balance has never quite felt right since Fabinho left.
Enter Nico Gonzalez.
City paid Porto £50 million for the Spanish midfielder in February 2025. He arrived as a high-ceiling pivot, capable of screening the back line, playing through pressure and imposing himself physically.
Even after selling Rodri to Barcelona, City has not ring-fenced Nico. Ayyoub Bouaddi is arriving from Lille in a $116 million deal, Elliott Anderson has been added in that zone, and Pep Guardiola has rotated Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly at the base of midfield. Newcastle has already registered interest in Nico, and City has not closed the door on a sale.
Yet his best days — including a standout display against Real Madrid in the Champions League — hint at a player still far from his ceiling. For Liverpool, that profile is exactly what has been missing.
The No. 6 Liverpool has been chasing
Nico looks like the kind of holding midfielder Andoni Iraola trusted at Bournemouth: disciplined in front of the defense, aggressive in duels, calm on the ball. Compared with Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, he offers a clear step up in physical presence and control.
Drop him into Liverpool’s midfield and the picture changes. He would give Slot the true No. 6 the club has lacked since Fabinho, freeing Nyoni to operate higher and easing his transition into regular first-team football. It would also allow Gravenberch to focus on what he does best rather than firefighting deep.
Liverpool will lose Curtis Jones, but the depth chart in advanced roles remains strong. Gravenberch, Nyoni, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Harvey Elliott can all operate in central areas. The squad is built to absorb the departure of one more attack-minded midfielder, provided the replacement locks down the holding role.
Value, risk and timing
From a pure market perspective, Mac Allister is likely the more valuable asset. On open sale, he would almost certainly fetch more than Nico. That is why any discussion of a straight swap feels unlikely.
If Liverpool engages, it would expect Nico plus a significant fee — potentially in the region of $20 million — to reflect the difference in valuation. That kind of structure would soften the blow of losing a World Cup winner and recent title mainstay, while addressing a glaring tactical need.
The danger lies in doing nothing. Letting Mac Allister’s contract run down, as happened with Alexander-Arnold and Konaté, would be a brutal own goal for a club that prides itself on smart squad management. Extend him soon, or listen seriously to offers. There is no safe middle ground anymore.
City’s interest has forced the issue into the open. Liverpool must now decide: double down on Mac Allister with a new deal, or reshape the spine of the team with a bold, old-fashioned trade that could redefine its midfield for years.
